Things to do in San Francisco

Nature · Between the Sunset and the Richmond

Larger than Central Park, stretching from the Haight all the way to the Pacific, with a Japanese garden, two museums and a bison paddock.

Local tip: JFK Drive is permanently car-free now, which changed the park completely. Go west past Stow Lake where the crowds thin, and finish at Ocean Beach for the sunset.

Neighborhood · Central-east

The city's sunniest district, Latino heart, mural capital and the site of its most argued-about food.

Local tip: Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley have the best murals. The sun stops roughly at Dolores Street — walk two blocks west and you're back in the fog.

Nature · Northwest corner

A coastal trail through cypress along the cliffs, with shipwrecks visible at low tide and the Golden Gate framed at the end.

Local tip: Start at the Legion of Honor and walk to the Sutro Baths ruins. Almost everyone drives to the bridge instead and misses the better view of it.

Food · Embarcadero

A restored 1898 ferry terminal turned into the city's best food hall, with a farmers' market outside three days a week.

Local tip: Saturday morning is the real market and the one chefs shop at. The stalls inside are open daily but cost roughly double what the same producers charge outside.

Landmark · Central

The two hills at the geographic centre of the city, with the classic full panorama from downtown to the ocean.

Local tip: Tank Hill, a few minutes below, has almost the same view with none of the tour buses. Go at dusk and watch the fog pour over the ridge.

Culture · Point Lobos

The concrete ruins of an enormous Victorian swimming complex burnt down in 1966, on the rocks below the Cliff House.

Local tip: There is a sea cave at the far end of the ruins that most visitors never find — go at low tide and follow the path around the right-hand edge. Bring a torch.